Animal Earth: Up Close with The World’s Most Unusual Organisms

In his new book 'Animal Earth,' Ross Piper explores some of the world's most rarely seen organisms, many of which will indeed look so alien to you that you'll wonder if they're not creatures invented for some science fiction film. Photographers include Alexander Semenov, Arthur Anker, and other animal specialists and researchers. 'Animal Earth' comes out in mid-November from Thames & Hudson.

The colors and patterns of the sea slugs warn predators of their toxicity. This nudibranch is Chromodoris annulata. Photo by Arthur Anker.

A sea angel, Clione limacine. In this image the grasping tentacles and chitinous hooks are retracted. Photo by Alexander Semenov.

Segmentation, a distinguishing feature of the annelids is clearly visible here. Photo by Alexander Semenov.

Nudibranchs, together with a huge variety of other marine mulluscs, are commonly known as sea slugs (Coryphella polaris). Photo by Alexander Semenov.

The compound eyes of a cynipid wasp (unidentified species). Some insects have simple eyes in addition to compound eyes, three of which can be seen on the top of this wasp's head. Photo by Tomas Rak.

The spherical test and impressive spines of a sea urchin. Coelopleurus floridanus. The mobile spines offer protection from predators. Since this species lives in relatively deep water, the purpose of the bright pigments in the skin and underlying skeleton is unknown. Photo by Arthur Anker.

In the cnidarians, what looks like a single individual is often a colony of polyps with specialized functions. In this floating colony (Porpita sp.) there are polyps for providing buoyancy, feeding (tentacles), digestion and reproduction. Photo by Arthur Anker.